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Another Happy Customer!

I recently purchased the oxygen sensors for my 2002 Ford Ranger. Going to the local parts stores, both sensors were about $140. RockAuto had the same parts for $59! And that included the shipping fees!

No doubt about it - I'm checking RockAuto.com before I EVER go to the parts store again!

Dave in Ohio

 

Upcoming Events
If you would like your event featured here, email us with details.

Old Fashioned Downtown Saturday Night
8/25/2012
Eaton, OR
e-mail

Wapato Showdown
8/25/2012
Gaston, OR
e-mail

36th Annual LeMay Car Show
8/25/2012
Auburn, WA
e-mail

The Knuckle Busters Car Club Car Show
8/25/2012
Aledo, IL
e-mail

CISO Show & Shine
8/26/2012
Waterloo, ON
e-mail

2012 Car/Bike/SUV Show & Picnic
8/26/2012
East Orange, NJ
e-mail

Chesapeake City Lions Club Car Show
8/26/2012
Chesapeake, MD
e-mail

Milk Pail Classic Car Show
8/26/2012
East Dundee, IL
e-mail

30th Annual All Vehicle Show
8/26/2012
Fremont, NH
e-mail

All American Car Show in the UK
8/27/2012
London, UK
e-mail

Dead Mans Curve "Wild Hot Rod Party"
8/29/2012
Livingston, NJ
e-mail

The Ohio Offroad Experience
8/31/2012
Olmsted Falls, OH
e-mail

Ridgewood NJ Chamber of Commerce Car Show
9/7/2012
Ridgewood, NJ
e-mail

Car Show Benefiting Frank Hayward III
9/8/2012
Prince Frederick, MD
e-mail

10th Annual United Way Car & Motorcycle Show
9/8/2012
Alpharetta, GA
e-mail

Field of Dreams Car Show
9/8/2012
London, ON
e-mail

29th Annual Fall Show
9/8/2012
Wilmington, DE
e-mail

Wilcox 7th Annual Car Show & Southington Drive-In
9/8/2012
Southington, CT
e-mail

Turkey Creek Car Motorcycle Show
9/8/2012
Shawnee, KS
e-mail

Cruise Above the Clouds Car Show
9/8/2012
Woodland, CO
e-mail

Dodge County Classics Swap Meet & Car Show
9/8/2012
Burnett, WI
e-mail

Annual Car Show to benefit Childrens Miracle Network
9/8/2012
Williamstown, PA
e-mail

YYCC Auto Show & Swap Meet
9/8/2012
Plainfield, CT
e-mail

Watkins Car Show
9/8/2012
Watkins, IA
e-mail

DelMar VA Classics Car Show
9/8/2012
Newark, DE
e-mail

Colonial Regional PD Benefit Car Show
9/9/2012
Allentown, PA
e-mail

19th Annual Windham Auto Show
9/9/2012
South Portland, ME
e-mail

Brewer's Troop 15 Boy Scouts 5th Annual Brewer Days Car Show
9/9/2012
Brewer, ME
e-mail

Past Reflections Car Club; Barron Fall Fest Car Show
9/9/2012
Barron, WI
e-mail

River City Cruisers Car Show in the Park
9/9/2012
Hermann, MO
e-mail

Fabulous Flashback Car Show
9/14/2012
Ukiah, CA
e-mail

Four Wheel Drive Trail Ride
9/14/2012
Suffolk, VA
e-mail

Corvette Nationals-UK
9/14/2012
Nottingham, UK
e-mail

Dave & Ed's Super Auto Events; Swap Meet, Car Corral & Car Show
9/14/2012
Canfield, OH
e-mail

 

Monroe ProSolution Brake Pads

See what we have from Monroe

RockAuto now offers the Monroe ProSolution brake pads along with the Monroe Total Solution brake pads!

Monroe’s ProSolution line of brake pads has been added to provide a premium level braking performance at a lower price. Monroe ProSolution brake pads come with OE-style shim technology to substantially reduce noise. The attention to quality friction formulations, including ceramic, helps reduce wear on rotors and creates less brake dust. The pads are engineered to help ensure a quiet ride with chamfer and slot design features in the friction surface. Monroe ProSolution pads are performance verified for noise reduction, long pad life, and superior stopping performance.

Monroe ProSolution Brake Pads

Also available in the RockAuto catalog are the Monroe Total Solution Ceramics and Dynamics brake pads. The pads are packaged complete with noise-elimination hardware, wire wear sensors and sensory locking plates as required by the application, as well as premium assembly lube.

Ceramics pads have the same level of ceramic material as OE and offer cooler (up to 350 deg. F less), cleaner, quieter stops with minimal rotor wear.

Dynamics pads use OE Constant Pressure Molding to securely bond the pad to the backing plate and 50 percent less resin for a denser friction material resulting in less pedal fade, noise and dust. This helps ensure superior stopping performance, longer service life and more consistent performance.

Whether you have a car, truck, minivan or SUV you can count on Monroe to provide OE-quality or better replacement parts at a price that fits every budget. All brake pad options can be found in the "Brake/Wheel Hub" category of the RockAuto catalog.

 

 

Raybestos Low Frequency Caliper Dampers

See what we have from Raybestos

Eliminate low frequency brake moans, groans and squeals with Raybestos caliper dampers for problem platforms (F150, Grand Marquis, Explorer, Taurus, Cruze, Volt, and more). Low frequency noise cannot be suppressed using traditional methods like brake grease, pad shims or Quiet Clips. Raybestos low frequency dampers are specially tuned to the frequency of specific vehicle applications to help reduce noise occurring in the rear calipers. Raybestos shows installation takes less than 90 seconds!

Find Raybestos Low Frequency Caliper Dampers in the "Brake/Wheel Hub" category of the RockAuto catalog.

 

Forum of the Month

Odyclub.com

Odyssey Minivan Forums is a website dedicated to all things Honda Odyssey. The forum has thousands of discussion topics to help answer any questions you may have. Whether you need technical guidance, have advice to give, or just want to show off your Odyssey, Odyclub.com is the place for you. Register for free so you can take advantage of all the features this forum has to offer.

 

If you are the administrator or member of a forum and you would like to see your website featured in an upcoming newsletter and receive a discount code to share with your members, contact cynthia@rockauto.com.

 

 

Repair Mistakes & Blunders

Ouch!

I had a 1994 Dodge Stealth Twin Turbo that I pampered like my baby. Cleaning it every weekend and doing most of my own maintenance as I didn't trust most mechanics to even change my oil. So...as I dutifully did every other week, I pulled her outside my garage in the morning to beat the heat and washed, waxed, and Armor-all'd her inside and out. Before taking her back into my garage to beat the afternoon heat (was to get to 100 that day), I hit the electric lifts for the windows. To my utter horror, the passenger side refused to lift. Got out of the car and went around to the passenger side to try the passenger's control. NADA! So...I got out my trusty manual and found the breakers. Checked all that applied, to no avail. What to do?

Pulling/replacing the fuses and slamming/banging on the passenger door did nothing. The remainder of the week was to have rain showers and I couldn't get my "baby" out in the rain! I was flummoxed!! Luckily I'd purchased the maintenance manuals so out came the "Electrical" manual. I searched and read...but the problem quickly became "over my pay-grade"! Then I thought..."Hey my neighbor is a wiz with electronics, taught it at Westpoint and has been an engineer for eons! He'll be able to read the wiring!"

So...over to my friend John's and, yes, he could read the wiring. I only needed to supply the cold beverages!

Well, he tried it out to no avail. We rechecked fuses. We retried using the passenger door lift. We tried slamming doors. Nothing! So, now it was time for disassembly. Off came both door panels. All possible switches and wiring that could have had anything to do with the window motor were tested. Two hours of sweat and beer in 99 degree garage heat and nothing! Then...John looked up to me and said, "It looks as if you have an open switch between the driver's and passenger's door! Is there a chance you've broken a wire or thrown a switch I don't know about?!"

All of a sudden I got a "Blinding Glimpse of the Obvious"! "Give me one minute, John", I said as I walked around to the driver's door.

"Now try it, John". Voila...it worked! He said, "OK.... What did you just do?!"

I grinned at him sheepishly and said, "The Window lock for the passenger's door had been depressed!" To my dismay, the window lock only needed to be depressed about 1/8". Something easily done...but something I'd NEVER used! There were no obvious markings, lights or warnings that it'd been depressed. Guess the auto engineers overlooked an obvious mistake...at least my observation...and I'm sticking to it!!

Dominick in Virginia

 

Tell us about your most infamous auto repair blunder or unconventional fix. Use your woe to help others avoid similar mistakes or share off-the-wall solutions that worked (at least for a while!). Please email your story to flamur@rockauto.com. Include your mailing address and if you would like a RockAuto T-Shirt (please let us know your shirt size) or Hat if we publish your story. See the T-Shirts and Hats under Tools & Universal Parts in the catalog. The story will be credited using only your first name and your vague geographic location (state, province, country, continent, etc.) so you can remain semi-anonymous!

 

 

Automotive Trivia

Automotive Trivia

A diagonally-split brake system couples the right front / left rear and left front / right rear brakes into separate systems to help prevent total brake loss. Which car company introduced the diagonally-split brake system in 1963?

A. Checker Motors
B. Renault S. A.
C. Saab

Answer below

 

 

Breaking in Brake Rotors

RockAuto

 

I did not simply replace the worn down brake pads on my wife’s ’93 Ford Tempo. I made the car better by installing a beautiful set of modern, high tech ceramic pads. I pictured the Tempo showing a bit more savoir faire as it competently braked using the same ceramic materials as those fancy new cars.

My bubble burst when my wife asked why the Tempo’s brakes had periodically started screeching during the first few stops. The sound echoed in her office’s parking garage and generated comments from coworkers such as, “You need new brakes. I thought your husband was a car guy?” My assurances that the screeching was the harmless sound of high performance brake pad break-in were met with a spouse’s skeptical ear.

Thankfully, the brakes no longer (or at least rarely) squeal when cold. The squealing was probably due to new brake pad material hitting old brake rotors. Breaking in new brake pads is as much about the rotors as it is about the pads.

When brake pads rub against the rotors there is abrasion. Bits of pad and rotor wear away. Imagine stopping a spinning bicycle tire by holding a piece of sandpaper against it. Especially at higher temperatures, there is also adherent friction where a layer of pad material transfers to the face of the rotor disc. The brake pad and the pad material stuck on the disc rub together and transfer back and forth between the two surfaces. Imagine stopping a spinning bike tire coated in glue with a piece of sandpaper coated in glue.

My new high tech ceramic pads were rubbing against a thin layer of dissimilar friction material left over from the old brake pads. The rotors were also slightly pitted in places by rust. I like to think of a brake rotor with rust pits as being the poor man’s version of a drilled and slotted rotor. More likely the rust pits create a slightly uneven surface with hot and cold spots and uneven dispersion of pad friction material. My beautiful new ceramic pads were pushing against a layer of old pad gunk and rusty cast iron!

A layer of old pad gunk and rusty cast iron

It is not surprising there was some squealing until the new brake pads bedded in. The old pad material gradually wore off the discs and a layer of new pad material was put down. To prevent the squealing during break-in, maybe I could have turned the rotors to grind off the old friction material and rust. The cast iron on Tempo rotors is relatively thin so replacement might have been the best choice.

But even freshly turned or new rotors require break in along with the new pads. An even layer of brake pad material must be laid down on the disc to prevent high spots, hot spots and that dreaded squealing. Follow the brake pad and brake rotor manufacturers’ break-in instructions. The break-in driving/stopping instructions do vary but are usually intended to get the brake pads hot enough to uniformly transfer pad material to the brake discs but not so hot that uneven globs of brake material are transferred. Choosing brake pads made of similar material (ceramic, semi-metallic, etc.) as the car’s original pads can also help prevent unwanted noise.

Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com

 

 

Brad's 1979 Ford F-250
Brad's 1979 Ford F-250

This is my 1979 Ford F-250 Camper Special I bought in 1999. It has a completely stock drive train consisting of the Ford M400 engine with a C6 automatic and Dana rear axle. This truck has the original paint and is my daily driver; it has power steering and brakes, and is a pleasure to drive. I am often complimented about the truck's age to appearance ratio and on the way my baby runs!

I have purchased many parts for her from RockAuto which have served us well. Parts such as a distributor cap and rotor, thermostat housing, thermostat and gasket, plug wires, ignition coil, ballast resistor, ignition switch, spark plugs, ignition control module(s), wiper blades, vacuum switches, just to name some of the parts from RockAuto. I have always been pleased with your great service, low prices, and part quality.

Thank you!
Brad in Texas

 

Share Your Hard Work

Do you purchase parts from RockAuto? If so, RockAuto would like to feature you & your car or truck in our monthly newsletter. New, old, import, domestic, daily driver, trailer queen, classic, antique, we want to see them all! Please e-mail flamur@rockauto.com with your vehicle's history, interesting details, your favorite images, and what parts from RockAuto you have used.

 

 

Let RockAuto Help

Let RockAuto Help

Are you organizing a car show or other auto related event? From goody bag stuffers to gift certificates...we can help. We can even publicize your event in our newsletter.

Just send us an email with information about your show.

 

 

Automotive Trivia Answer

Automotive Trivia

A diagonally-split brake system couples the right front / left rear and left front / right rear brakes into separate systems to help prevent total brake loss. Which car company introduced the diagonally-split brake system in 1963?

A. Checker Motors
B. Renault S. A.
Answer: C. Saab (source: http://www.saab.com/en/international/the-company/heritage/saab-history/ )

Back up to trivia question

 

 

 

 

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